War of the Worlds: Veni, Vidi, Vici
by TheHatMan98
Summary: In 1910 Great Britain was almost totally destroyed in the space of 1 month. It's Army being thrown into disarray and capital obliterated. But from out of these ashes Humanity will unite to throw back the Martians. But it will need a Hero to follow and they will find it in a young Captain from Yorkshire.


In the begging of the 20th century few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets even the most open-minded and intellectual men on the planet disregarded such beliefs at the mention of the topic. But that changed. It changed at the arrival of humanities greatest threat not famine or disease but war, and not the war between the great industrial powers as expected by most.

They came from the planet of war bent on conquest for their empire to them man was but an insect beneath its mighty boot easily crushed and designed with the sole purpose to serve their overlord these were the Martians. Under the crushing onslaught from the completely unstoppable Martians, even the mightiest and proudest of nations lost whatever amount of confidence and hope it previously had to defeat this foe. In 1910 this was the state of the Earths mightiest nation Great Britain, it had been the main target of the Martian invasion. In the space of 3 1/2 weeks the Martians had laid waste to the entire British Southern army and swept through London eradicating all that opposed them. The capital of the most powerful nation on Earth had been humiliated and all it had to show for it were 11 of the Tripod invaders had been destroyed in exchanged for an estimated 27,000 British troops killed, wounded or missing in action and 1,500,000 civilians.

After the fall of London the Royal Navy sprang into action supporting all large-scale evacuations and keeping a watchful eye on the southern coast in the hope of containing the Martians should they attempt a breakout onto the continent. It quickly became apparent the Martians were most vulnerable at sea there immense size was substantially reduced and the big guns of the Royal Navy allowed the British to pick off any Tripods while out of range of the heat ray. The British demonstrated many acts of immense bravery during the first engagements such as: the stand at Weybridge in which the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers held the advance for 3 days damaging 3 Tripods and actually destroying a 4th, the charge of the Cardigan regiment the first men to even see as well as engage the Tripods and finally the most famous and important, the first ship of the Royal Navy to face the Martians the dreadnought, HMS _Thunderchild_ successfully destroyed 6 tripods while defending the evacuation of London.

But these acts did little to halt the advance and the Royal Navy was forced to use hit and run tactics. What remained of the British Southern Command remained was forced to pull back to and regroup up North or regroup at Portsmouth as to protect the home of the Royal Navy. All hope looked lost for the British.

But despite this the British were regrouping one member of the British Government survived the attack on London and was determined to take back London and reform Britain as the dominant force on Earth. George the fifth was alive and well and had established a military council in Edinburgh. This new council had ordered remaining troops to create a defensive line from the English border with Wales across the Midlands to Norfolk. Meanwhile the British turned for international aid.

The French and Russians were already pledging their support to their bewildered brothers in England and agreed to send expeditionary forces to Britain as soon as possible. The German Empire had also been the targeted by the Martians, their Cylinders landing in Northern Bavaria but quickly eliminated by the elite and well equipped German army. As a result of this the Kaiser recognised the threat and agreed with the British ambassador in Berlin that they could rely on German support, they agreed that the Germans would defend the North sea and British trade routes as they prepared a vanguard force to be shipped to Britain.

The remaining European nations agreed to only send humanitarian aid. Further a field the Americans remained neutral merely watching the skies and Europe with crossed fingers. The British dominions and colonies began to send all spare troops back to the home isles fearing the Martians would extend to the colonies if not contained.

Back at home, the British army readied themselves for action. Most of the officer ready and rather too eager for combat almost all of them had yet to see the Martians (those that had had typically met them in combat and falling to the heat ray) and failed to realise the threat they posed merely declaring those that ran cowards, traitors and rouges deserving the swiftest punishments. But there were still those hand full of men who had survived the first encounters with the Martians and truly realised the threat the Martians posed. These men among others who had fought in colonial wars and other campaigns believed until the army could be reequipped and reinforced the Martians should merely be contained. Among this group of men was Captain David John Scarlett.

Scarlett was a very young soldier and an even younger captain all though he was indeed tall for his age only 20 years of age and the fact that he had a number of hairs on his chin and a long, thick, dark, unshaven moustache resting on his upper lip. Only one facial factor betrayed his age - his eyes deep brown at first glance full of innocence that suggested a lack of worldliness, but buried deep within laid a heart full of pain and hurt. His eyes were covered by a mop of dark, almost jet black hair with sideburns stretching down to his jaw.

Scarlett was the bastard child of the Duke of York although few were aware of this only himself, his mother Isabel and her brother Alistair. His mother was the daughter of a barrister and married well-known industrialist, philosopher and radical conservative Viscount Arthur Benedict Scarlett.

He was born in and grew up in North Yorkshire with his Mother Isabel, 'Father' Benedict, 6 half-brothers Archibald, Horatio, Benedict, Alistair, Harold and Henry and 3 half-sisters Maria, Victoria and Alexandra whom he all retained a good relationship with despite the fact he knew they were not fully related to him. He went on to study history, music, science, literature and philosophy at the Imperial County College in York and found work (and often fell out of it) in and around York. He had many friends from all levels of society and mixed well with them all. On his 17th birthday his 'father' decide he should make something of himself and was sent to join the navy but he refused and demanded he join the army instead he then studied at the Imperial Staff College in London for year achieving top in all his classes and was sent to join his Uncle, Brigadier Sir Alistair Smith-Dorian in Africa. It was in Africa he became a renown hunter, explorer and a hardened soldier fighting a number of revolts and rebellions.

In 1909 he returned to his home with his Uncle after 3 years to for a 10 month leave before going back to Africa or a new station most likely at closer to home. But he returned to something very different from when he left. Many of his friends had been sent abroad to work around the empire or had gone married and left to begin their lives. His youngest brother, Henry had left to train as a priest and shunned his brother as he declared himself an Atheist and as Henry put it when he saw him upon his return "Sinned beyond the redemption of the Lord!" His other brothers Harold and Benedict were sent to manage his Fathers over seas assets in Cairo and Hong Kong in his three years away they were the only family Scarlet had seen other than his Uncle. His favourite brother Alistair followed his brother into the army was instead sent to India where like his brother he made a reputation for himself as a hunter and as an engineer revolutionizing the infrastructure of the sub-continent in the space of 18 months before being sent back home to take what he had learnt there and uses it to teach other less experienced officers. He was the same age as his brother Horatio, (although they were still not fully related to each other Horatio being born in January 1890 and David being conceived in February) was sent to study Physics, Chemistry and Astronomy at the Royal London Academy of Science. Finally, his oldest brother Archibald was the primary heir to the family fortune and spent his time working for his father and securing new assets abroad. Archibald detested his younger brother although nobody knew exactly why he did.

As for David's sisters Victoria and Alexandra had both married been married off to benefit their fathers growing enterprise. As for Maria she was the youngest in the family and only 7 years old when David left for Africa, which she was deeply upset about for her older brother had become her idol and would always followed him around the estate on which they lived. Although now she and was always kept under the watchful eye of her father.

Upon arrival home David and his Uncle were celebrated by there family all of whom reunited to welcome them and invited a few of David's friends some of whom came back with him from Africa and others from before he left. After the festivities David's 'father' announced that he had selected a bride for him and had already began planning the ceremony with the help of his mother and Archibald. But David refused. David refused to have his life dictated to him by a man that held none of his true interests at heart and that he would marry when he was 'damn well ready to who ever he damn well liked!' Eventually it boiled down to everyone in the room taking sides as to what David should do all having separate arguments as to what he should do. In the end David stormed out of the room to calm down after which he felt it better request a transfer back to Africa but was refused. Eventually he decide to take his leave away from the family and instead staying with his Uncle at his home in Sheffield, having no longer being welcome by Benedict.

But from this Scarlett would a rise to be not just the saviour of Great Britain but the saviour of humanity, praised by millions across countless generations by all. And the seeds of this would be planted on one lonely hill north of London.

**Authors' Notes: Hello I am TheHatMan98 and you have just read the prologue to my first genuinely proper story this is something I have been meaning to write ever since I first listened to the album by Jeff Wayne and after having read the book just last week and just finishing my Mock Exams I couldn't have thought of a more appropriate time to write this story. This story takes place in 1910 as apposed to 1896(when it was based) because I always imagined it around that time primarily because I liked the thought of the Thunderchild as a Dreadnought not a torpedo ram or Ironclad. Any way I wouldn't expect all chapters to be this long, although I will try and make them this long. Expect 1 or 2 chapter a week I don't have much time on my hands. So I hope you enjoyed and hope you read the next chapters! =D**


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